Methodist Church Hall, Claigmar Road, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 2NL
Tel: 07546 584314 Email: traceyhubbard@sky.com
www.rascalsplaygroup.co.uk
Newsletter – Autumn Term 2015
We hope you all had a wonderful summer. Welcome back to our older children and a very warm welcome to all
our new little Rascals; Ronnie, Thesha, Laura and Ruby.
A newsletter will be issued at the beginning of each term containing lots of useful information. However, there
will also be regular updates written on our notice board situated outside each morning. We will be posting
updates, together with copies of letters that are sent home and newsletters on our website. Our website
calendar is also updated regularly with important dates and events. We also post regular reminders and useful
information on our facebook page www.facebook.com/RascalsPreSchoolPlaygroup so please feel free to LIKE us
for regular updates and information in your newsfeed. This should enable you to have access to all the
information you need when you need it.
Staffing:
Tracey
Emmajane
Claire
Emma
Claire B
Lauren
Sam
- Manager &Treasurer (SENco/Inco)
- Manager (SENco / Inco)
- Supervisor
- Trainee Supervisor
– Senior Assistant
- Assistant
– Bank Staff
Volunteers: Julie, Kirsten, Jan and Lindsey
IMPORTANT DATES
We have attached a sheet at the end of this newsletter with all the following dates for your diary which you
might find useful to pin up as a quick reference.
Term Dates:
Autumn Term 2015
Term Begins
Monday 7th September
Term Ends
Friday 11th December
Half Term: Monday 26th October - Friday 30th October
Spring Term 2016
Term Begins
Monday 4th January
Term Ends
Thursday 24th March
Half Term: Monday 15th February – Friday 19th February
Bank Holiday: Friday 25th March
Summer Term 2016
Term Begins
Monday 11th April
Term Ends
Friday 15th July
Half Term: Monday 30th May – Friday 3rd June
Bank Holiday: Monday 2nd May
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Rascals may have to close on occasional days through the year. We will always give you as much notice as
possible of such closures.
Congratulations
As many of you will know, Tracey has been studying for the past few years towards a BA Hons degree in
Professional Studies in Learning and Development. We are very pleased to announce that Tracey was awarded
her BA this summer and has graduated with a 2:1!! We are all very proud of her and wish her every success as
she embarks on studying for her Early Years Teacher Status this year.
Rascals Resources
We would like to thank everyone for their generosity last year in supporting our efforts in fund raising for
Rascals. This summer we have used some of the fundraising to purchase a set of Remote Control Cars, a Welly
Boot Rack and a Drying Rack for the children’s paintings.
Thank you also for your efforts in collecting the Sainsbury’s vouchers last term. Together you collected an
impressive total of 5,630 vouchers. We have ordered a Docking Station, Play Money and a number of pieces of
physical equipment including various balls of different shapes and sizes.
Rascals Garden
Towards the end of the summer term we started to revamp our outside area to make it a more attractive and
accessible play environment. We have taken down the dividing fence, rearranged our storage and reassembled
the large climbing frame. During the summer holidays Bob created a wooden frame and lid for our mud pit; and
Lauren also very kindly made a beautiful wooden mud kitchen for the area. Please feel free to pop in and have a
quick look. A member of staff would be happy to give you a tour of the garden and explain our plans for future
improvements.
In our ongoing efforts to improve the outdoor environment Rascals has taken the decision to use its own funds to
have the branches that overhang the garden trimmed back. We hope that this will reduce the amount of tree
debris and bird mess falling into the garden. We have council permission to carry out the work. We are now in
the process of displaying our planning notice and look forward to this work commencing within the next few
months. We will keep you updated as to the progress.
Rascals Take Home Teds
We are very excited at Rascals to have welcomed Six Rascals Take Home Teds. Your child will be given the
opportunity to take home a different teddy each half term for a week. Your child’s teddy will come with his/her
own bag of belongings and a little diary. At the end of your Ted’s stay we are hoping that you will be able to help
your child complete a little diary entry. This could be a picture, a photo or a small written paragraph to explain
what s/he got up to while staying with your family. Your child will then have the opportunity to share this with
the other children during their school club sessions.
Jeans for Genes Day
We will be supporting Jeans for Genes Day again this year on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th September. We
would ask that if your child is attending playgroup on either of these days that they wear something denim. If
you feel able to donate to this good cause, we will have a collection bucket on our welcome table in the hall. We
would suggest a donation of £1 but any amount you are able to spare will be gratefully received. If you would
like some more information regarding this cause please visit their website at http://www.jeansforgenesday.org/
School Club and Chatter Packs
This term the older children, those who will be leaving us for school next September, will start to attend regular
School Club and Reading sessions. This year we are offering parents of those children who will be attending
School Club the opportunity to attend a short meeting on Monday 21st September at 12.10. This meeting will
explain the purpose and focus of our school club and reading sessions. You will have a chance to look at some of
our resources and ask any questions you may have. If you are unable to attend but would like more information
then please speak to a member of staff who would be happy to help you.
Rustington Methodist Church Afternoon Tea Party
The Rustington Methodist Church Family Committee would like to extend an invitation to their Afternoon Tea
Party on Saturday 26th September in the church grounds from 2-4pm. This is a family friendly event and all ages
are welcome. Come and join the fun - There will be tea, cold drinks, cakes, garden games, a bouncy castle and
lots, lots more! You will receive an invite in the next few days.
Pre-school Praise at the shopper’s service:
Since January 09, the children have been taking part in the shopper’s service in the Church twice a term. These
are held on a Friday at 10.45 for 15 minutes and usually involve action songs and a story time. All
parents/carers/siblings (even babies!!) are welcome to join us in the church for this happy service but should this
conflict with your own beliefs, just let us know and we will arrange for another activity in the hall for that time.
Our next Pre-school Praise service will be held on: Friday 23rd October - Harvest Festival theme.
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We will again be supporting the shoebox appeal within the church this year and are looking for the following
items please: toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, flannels, deodorant, crayons, felt tips, note pads, pencils,
rubbers, hair accessories, small sewing kits, travel size games, socks, small candles and holders, pack of cards and
tape measures.
We understand that Lidls are giving out Stikeez toys with every purchase over £10. These toys are already kite
marked and would be an ideal gift to include in a shoe box!
If you have any shoe boxes that you can donate that would be great, otherwise please put your donations of
items into our collection box that will be placed in the hall next week.
The BIG WRAP to pack and wrap the shoeboxes will be held on Saturday 21st November in the Church Hall.
Everyone is welcome to come along and help!
We appreciate that our harvest pre-school praise is quite early in the academic year and that there may still be a
few children finding it difficult to separate from parents / carers. In these circumstances we would still extend
warm welcome to you and your family; but would suggest that you sit toward the back of the church so as not to
unsettle your child. We would also remind you that no food or drink is allowed in the church.
An invitation and further information to follow in the next few weeks.
Paul Millen photography
Paul Millen will be visiting playgroup this half term to take individual photos of the children. Paul is also happy to
take photos of siblings. He will be visiting on Tuesday 6th October. If you don’t usually attend on this day please
come along at 9.30am and we will organise for your photos to be taken first so that you can leave again
promptly.
Parent consultations:
Once a term you are offered the opportunity to meet with your key person to discuss how your child is getting on
at Rascals. We will be holding our next consultation evening on Wednesday 11th November beginning at 6pm.
Your key worker will contact you nearer the time asking you to confirm an appointment time.
Please feel free to look at your child’s learning journal at any time but please do not take it home without letting
a member of staff know.
Children in Need
We will be supporting Children in Need again this year. The theme for Children in Need this year is ‘Be a Hero’.
We will therefore be running a super hero theme the week beginning Monday 9th November and we would like
to invite all our children to come to Rascals dressed as super heroes to support this great cause on Thursday 12th
November and Friday 13th November. A collection tin will be available both days for your donations. We
would suggest a donation of £1 but of course will be grateful to receive whatever amount you can manage.
Christmas Nativity
Each year at Christmas, we invite the children to participate in a short nativity play. This involves the children
wearing a costume (most of which we supply) and taking their place on the stage as the Christmas story is read.
This year our Nativity will take place on Friday 11th December and you and your family are very welcome to come
along. Details will be given to you nearer the time.
Mod Mums
Mod Mums is a baby and toddler group that meet on a Wednesday morning (Term Time) at the Rustington
Methodist Church. They are a toddler group with a difference. While you relax and enjoy a coffee, chat and
activity, your child is looked after in one of the 3 crèches on the same premises. The group are in desperate need
of more volunteer crèche ladies. So if you feel you or a grandparent would like to volunteer your time or that you
would like more information about the group please speak to Emmajane or Tracey.
REMINDERS
Outside:
We will continue to spend as much time outside as possible this term regardless of the weather. Please make
sure your child wears suitable clothing for the weather each day. As the weather gets colder and wetter it will be
important to send your child to playgroup with more than one set of spare clothes as they will most definitely get
dirty at some point! Please also ensure that you don’t send them to playgroup in their best clothes or coat as the
children need to feel free to explore and play.
If the weather is warm and sunny please ensure you apply sun cream to your child before you bring them to
playgroup as it does get very hot in the garden.
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REMEMBER any extra clothing such as hats and gloves (and sunscreen) can be kept at playgroup, in your child’s
shoe-bag on their peg so we can access them if necessary. We do have our own supply of wellies!
PLEASE make sure you write your child’s name clearly and visibly on all of their belongings to avoid any
confusion. Some children do enjoy taking their shoes and socks off whilst playing indoors so it would be helpful if
you could clearly name their shoes. Please could you also remember to label any toys brought into playgroup to
avoid confusion.
Parent helpers:
If you would like to offer your help please inform a member of staff. We are always very grateful of help with the
washing up. This involves coming back to playgroup at a slightly earlier time of 12.10pm.
We always welcome parents/carers who wish to stay and play during the morning.
We always need extra volunteers to read or do jigsaws with the children, or if you fancy doing some craft work or
cooking you are more than welcome.
Please speak to a member of staff if you are interested in volunteering. Your time is always greatly appreciated.
(It is advisable for newer parents to wait until your child has fully settled in to playgroup before you decide to do
so).
PLEASE REMEMBER: That anything that you see or hear while at Rascals is to remain confidential and that any
concerns are raised with staff.
End of morning procedure
As the hall is regularly used by other groups, we are under pressure to clear up as soon as we can but please be
assured that staff are always available to talk to at the beginning and end of the session about any issues, worries
or concerns you may have.
Could we please ask that when you (or someone else) collect your child at the end of the morning, you come
right over to your child where they will be sitting in a circle on a chair. For safety reasons we will be
encouraging the children to wait on their chairs until their grown up comes right up to the circle and to not run
across the hall. We understand they are very excited to see you but it is difficult for staff to keep track of
children when they have left the circle and we would appreciate you talking to your child about this and ensuring
they understand why this is important. Please pass this information on to anyone who will be picking your child
up.
We will be encouraging the children to collect their own coats and bags from their pegs at the end of the
morning when time allows so it would be useful if you could encourage your child to hang their own coat and bag
up in the morning so they begin to recognise where their peg is.
Water Bottles:
We continue to encourage ALL children to have a NAMED bottle of WATER with them at Rascals each morning.
Please ensure you fill the bottle with water only and not with squash, juice or fizzy drink. This allows the children
to have independent access to a drink, and we encourage them all to have a drink during the morning as well as
the drink they will have at snack time. Please can you bring in a water bottle that is clearly labelled and
remember to take it home again each day.
Changing bags:
Please ensure that your child’s bag is named clearly on the outside as some children do have similar bags and it is
difficult for them to tell us which is theirs.
Please always check your child’s bag when you get home as used nappies or soiled clothes will be placed in there
during the morning if necessary. Unfortunately we do not have facilities to dispose of soiled nappies on the
premises and therefore these will be placed into a nappy sack and put in your child’s bag. We do try to inform
you if we have had to change your child during the course of the morning, but in the hustle and bustle of going
home time this can occasionally be overlooked. Children in nappies/pull ups are always changed during the
course of the morning.
Rascals fees and snack donations:
Please continue to give any monies due in a clearly labelled envelope as we have found this very helpful in the
past. You will be asked to sign for any fees paid by cash or cheque. If you pay your fees directly into our account
please ensure you quote your child’s name as the reference.
Themes
Occasionally our individual planning incorporates different themes. We will give you advanced notice of when a
theme has been planned and would welcome your participation, i.e. bringing in items/books related to the
theme for the week or chatting with your child at home about the theme. If you have any suggestions for Special
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Days and or themes please feel free to add them to our comments book or let a member of staff know. We are
always keen to incorporate the children’s and parents ideas into our planning.
Donations
At playgroup we use lots of newspaper when painting or glueing. Any donations of old newspapers would be
gratefully received.
We are also looking for pretty things for our creative trolley that the children can use for glueing and cutting,
cards and particularly fabrics. Again any donations would be gratefully received.
We are also looking for natural resources (interesting items from beach/woods etc) to make into treasure
baskets for the children to explore and are looking for items such as milk crates/guttering/wood of various
sizes/planks etc for the children to construct with outside. Please ensure the items are not too small as this can
be a choking hazard and that any wood or planks have had all nails or screws removed.
Earrings and other jewellery:
For safety reasons we prefer jewellery is not worn at playgroup. We do understand that the jewellery may be of
cultural or religious significance and we are happy to make an exception for this. However this will be at your
own risk; as we are unable to take any responsibility for injury, damage or breakages. We would also ask that if
your child has their ears pierced please could you ensure they wear plain studs for playgroup.
Personal details:
Please ensure you inform us immediately of any change of details such as mobile phone numbers or other
contact details for parents and your emergency contacts. It is essential that our records are kept up to date in
case of emergencies.
Nut allergies:
Some parents like to send sweets into playgroup when it is their child’s birthday, however, please note we have
to be a nut free zone so if you wish to send sweets please ensure they are nut free.
Medicines in Playgroup
Please be advised that any medical products needed at playgroup, MUST be given to a member of staff for us to
store in our medical box in the Main Hall and paperwork will need to be completed.
Please could all parents check NO medical products are left in their child’s rucksack on their peg during the
course of the morning, as all the children do have free access to their pegs.
Please remember to inform a member of staff if your child has been given medicine prior to attending playgroup
such as Calpol as we will need you to sign a form in our emergency folder.
Illness:
Please, please do not send your child to playgroup if they are unwell. They will not enjoy
the morning and it is not fair to the other children or staff. This does not mean the odd sniffle or runny nose!! If
they have suffered from diarrhoea or sickness please keep them at home for at least 48 hours. This also applies
to those children who have started a course of antibiotics.
Please always phone or text Rascals mobile number to let us know your child is going to be off ill that day. It is
always helpful for us to monitor what illnesses are affecting the children and we can then warn other parents if a
few children are off ill. It is also helpful for us to know if the children will be missing playgroup for other reasons
i.e. holidays.
Car Parking and Children’s safety:
Please remember not to use the Tesco or the front church car park, as the church staff and church members
require access at all times. Please use the car park on the far side of the church at all times.
Please be aware of small and young children running around in both car parks.
Could we please ask that children be fully supervised when waiting to come into playgroup in the morning. We
have had experiences in the past where broken glass or other unsavoury litter has been found discarded on the
church grounds, and would not like any of the children to injure themselves.
Rascals occupancy list:
If you have a younger child or you know of someone who would like to put their child on our occupancy list to
attend Rascals, please speak to Emmajane. We have a list for the next few years so it is important to register
children as soon as possible.
Comments
Please note we have a comments book where you can comment on anything you like - negative or positive!
Your comments will be gratefully received.
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PLEASE REMEMBER TO TELL A MEMBER OF STAFF IF SOMEONE DIFFERENT IS COLLECTING YOUR CHILD FROM
PLAYGROUP. WE WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO GO WITH ANYONE UNLESS WE HAVE YOUR PRIOR
PERMISSION AND DETAILS ABOUT THAT PERSON.
We realise this is a lot of information to take in all at once but feel it is useful to provide you with as much detail
as possible and hopefully this will answer some of the questions you may have. However, if there is anything you
are unsure of or if you just need a bit of advice about something, please do speak to a member of staff who will
be more than happy to help you.
THANK YOU.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO ENJOYING THE AUTUMN TERM WITH YOU ALL.
THE RASCALS TEAM
Rascals mobile: 07546584314
Rascals email: traceyhubbard@sky.com
e.merrett@yahoo.co.uk
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Jeans for Genes Day – Thursday 17th and Friday 18th September
School Club Meeting - Monday 21st September
Rustington Methodist Church Afternoon Tea Party – Saturday 26th September
Paul Millen taking individual photos - Tuesday 6th October 9.30am
Harvest Festival Pre School Praise – Friday 23rd October
Parents Consultation Evening – Wednesday 11th November
Children in Need Day – Thursday 12th and Friday 13th November
The Big Wrap – Saturday 21st November
Last Day of Term, Christmas Nativity, Christmas Party – Friday 11th
December
TERM DATES
Autumn Term 2015
Term Begins Monday 7th September
Term Ends Friday 11th December
Half Term: Monday 26th October - Friday 30th October
Spring Term 2016
Term Begins Monday 4th January
Term Ends Thursday 24th March
Half Term: Monday 15th February – Friday 19th February
Bank Holiday: Friday 25th March
Summer Term 2016
Term Begins Monday 11th April
Term Ends Friday 15th July
Half Term: Monday 30th May – Friday 3rd June
Bank Holiday: Monday 2nd May
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